Corrupted
by Celes Chere
Summary: Celes, Kefka, and Leo were once children, and although they were apart of the Empire, innocence remained. However...when the bonds of friendship were shattered between the 3 best friends, and lies were exposed for what they really were...
1. Part One- Everlasting Memories

Hmm, well, some backround...  
  
I was lying in bed one night at like... 3 a.m. in the morning...when the idea just came to me. I began to think about what a childhood might have been like for a child who was raised in the Empire like Celes and Terra were. What surprised me though, was that instead of all sorts of negative things coming to my mind, there were mostly positive things, at first. I have seen a lot of fanfics that say that life in the Empire must have been all awful, from day one...but that is only one side of the perspective. Maybe at one point, in someone's life, the Empire's dreams made a comforting barrier around them, enclosing them in a safe and happy place, where nothing could touch them.  
  
But of course, even this would have to end eventually...or else FF6 would have never been born! ^_~ BTW, I dont own anyone from this game, and this isnt for money...blah blah, all that fun stuff! Rated PG-13 for violence and bad words and shitz...  
  
Annnnnnnnnnnnnnnd now...one of my more shorter stories...this one is only a mere 3 Parts long...and will be completed soonish-ly...  
  
Corrupted  
  
By: Celes Chere  
  
Part One- Everlasting Memories  
  
"And so, the Holy Knight Darin rode off into the sunset with his newlywed bride, the beautiful Princess Cherry, and they lived happily ever after..."  
  
Cid closed the thin, hardcover book in his hands shut, and looked down at the three small children staring back up at him with satisfied smiles on their faces. Well, at least two of them were smiling. The girl that was sitting in between the two ten-year old boys had a perplexed look on her face, and her small nose was wrinkled up in thought, her mouth turned in a small glare. Cid sighed and scratched his head. He knew what was coming.  
  
"What is it, Celes?" He asked, setting the book on the small table beside his chair in the large recreation room that was just a small part of the left tower of the Vector Palace, located in Vector on the Southern Continent. The girl swished her blonde hair over her shoulder and raised her eyebrows.  
  
"....I don't understand it, exactly." She said in her articulate and bold voice. "Why did Cherry marry Darin so quickly? They only met once, when he rescued her from the Evil Dragon Lord! I thought it took people a long time to fall in love like that." Cid smiled a little and reached down, messing up her hair.  
  
"It does, most of the time." Cid explained, and stood up from his chair. "But sometimes, in very special and rare cases, two people can fall in love at first sight. Some realize it right away, and others don't, but deep in their hearts, they know they are destined to be together forever. That is what Cherry and Darin did in the story. It's what gives it the happy ending." Cid walked over to the bookshelf, picking up the book from the table on his way there, and sliding it back into place on the shelf.  
  
"Love at first sight..." Celes trailed off and looked up at the ceiling, only to hear her fellow story-listeners snickering.  
  
"Celes wants to be taken away by a prince too!" One boy smirked, and blew a strand of dirty-blonde hair out of his sharp blue eyes. He stood up as well, stretching and reaching high up into the air. His long tan legs were covered with bruises and grass stains from messing around outside the entire summer day. The other boy stood up as well, running his hand through the small blonde spikes in his hair, his green eyes sparkling.  
  
"I bet Kefka is right." He added, and Celes glared at both of them.  
  
"Be quiet, Kefka, Leo." She snapped, and stood up, almost taller then the both of them. "I was just wonderin'."  
  
"Now, now." Cid laughed, and turned to them. "You guys need to run along and get changed for bed. It's late enough as it is, and you three need to get some sleep."  
  
"Alrighty." Leo said, and he, Kefka, and Celes took off running from the recreation room and down the long hallway to their seperate bedrooms. Cid shook his head, smiling, as he heard their arguing fade behind slamming doors. He turned off the lights in the recreation room and shut the door behind him, and began walking the opposite direction of the children, down the hall and around the corner to a staircase. He began decending slowly down, his middle-age bones already beginning to ache from all the stairs.   
  
He rather wanted to retreat backwards to his own bedroom that was at the end of the kids' hallway, but Emperor Gestahl had requested Cid join him in a meeting immediately after he saw to the three children's bedtimes. He knew that Leo would make sure that everyone would go to bed. He was the oldest of the three, even if it was by a few months over Kefka, and he was the most responsible.  
  
Cid reached down in his shirt pocket and pulled out a small notepad, and flipped it open. Inside were a few notes he had scrawled down for Gestahl, things that the Emperor had asked him to note the last time they were in a meeting, for some reason. They were just simple things, and yet, Cid almost felt guilty, as if he were betraying the three children he had practically raised his whole life. He couldn't immagine why he felt like this as he flipped through the pages.  
  
June 13th  
  
Today school let out for the local children in Vector. Leo and Kefka both graduated the Fourth Grade with honors, and Celes graduated Second Grade with honors grades as well. The three are always together...they came home laughing and covered in dirt from wrestling at the school yards...and also came home with behavior dermits from their teachers for the last day of school...  
  
Cid let out a small chuckle and turned the page.  
  
**********  
  
Celes stuck her head out of her room and looked about her surroundings, making sure that no one was in sight. She then shuffled down the hall in her pink slippers and matching pink silk pajamas, pushing her hair that was now in two braids behind her shoulders. Carefully, she made her way to the rec room, and opened the door, softly and slowly so that it would not squeak. She then slipped in the room, shutting the door behind her, and made her way to the glass doors inside the rec room. Those doors led to the balcony that was outside...  
  
"Celes, what took you so long?" Leo asked as she stepped out onto the balcony, sliding the glass doors behind her. Leo was in his blue pajama top and bottoms, along with his white slippers.   
  
"Sorry, I had to put my hair in braids!" Celes said, and Leo playfully tugged on one.  
  
"Stop!" Celes protested. "I don't want my hair to get in a mess tomorrow morning."  
  
"Don't grow it so long!" Kefka smirked, leaning against the balcony railing. His red pajamas matched Leo's exactly, except in color, and his black slippers creeped out from under his pajama pants, which were a little too long.  
  
"I want to." Celes said, and stuck out her tongue.  
  
"You're such a girly-girl!" Kefka teased.  
  
"So are you!" Celes giggled, and Kefka turned red while Leo burst out laughing. Suddenly, Leo turned to the sky and pointed up.  
  
"Look you guys, this is what I heard would be happeing on the news tonight." Leo said, and everyone turned to follow his direction. The sky was dark, with the dazzling stars sparkling like diamonds set in the sky. However, the moon, which was full, was a deep orange color instead of the normal silvery white.   
  
"Wow...." Celes smiled. "It's beautiful! Totally worth sneaking out."  
  
"Kinda looks eerie." Kefka smirked, but leaned over the balcony beside Celes, admiring it as well.  
  
"I heard at school that if you make a wish on a moon like this, it will come true." Celes said, looking to Leo. "Is it true?"  
  
"I don't know, maybe it's based on some local lore." Leo said. "But hey, if it is, we should take advantage of it."  
  
"Alright!" Celes grinned, and clasped her hands together. "This is easy. I wish that this summer won't be boring like last year!"  
  
"Oh man, that's true." Kefka said. "Nothing good was going on last year. Vector was nothing but a hick town!"  
  
"It still is." Leo corrected him. "But a lot has been going on too. Did you notice how many men have been visiting the palace lately...? It's kind of creepy."  
  
"Yes, I noticed too." Celes said. "But I don't mind. They stay away from us. They just come to draft into Emperor Gestahl's army. Well...at least that is what Cid told us..."  
  
"I wish Cid would let up on our curfews." Kefka said, cutting Celes off. "That's my wish to that weird-ass moon."  
  
"Kefka!" Leo snapped.  
  
"Sorry." Kefka laughed a little. "But it's true. He's too protective. Leo, you and me are gonna be in fifth grade next year. We're like, babies compared to the rest of our class!"  
  
"Heh." Leo said, and suddenly let out a loud yawn. "....Actually, I'm getting kind of tired. We should just go to bed for the night."  
  
"You're no fun Leo." Kefka said. "I have eggs in my pocket! Lets sneak outside and egg something!" Leo ignored him and looked at Celes.  
  
"Alright, I'll peek into the hall and make sure no one is coming." Celes said, and sauntered off back into the rec room. This was her duty every time they snuck out of their rooms like this, because if someone saw her, she could easily claim she was up to get water or that she had a nightmare, since she was younger then Kefka and Leo and basically more believable. When she popped her head out the door, she checked both ways to make sure the halls were empty, and gestured for Leo and Kefka to come to her. She was about to open the rec room door wide enough for them to slip through, when suddenly, she heard footsteps coming up the stairs down the hall.   
  
"Oh no, back off!" Celes cried, and gave whoever was behind her a shove so she could step back and close the door. However, that person behind her was Kefka, and Celes' violent push caused him to thump into the wall. All at once, a sickening cracking noise was heard as Celes shut the door quickly.  
  
"What was that?!" Leo asked in a hushed whisper. Kefka looked at the others and gulped.  
  
"Those were my eggs." Kefka replied, and Celes nearly burst out laughing when she saw the mess that was already seeping through the pockets of Kefka's pajamas. Leo tried not to laugh himself as the footsteps passed by the rec room. A few moments later, the same footsteps passed by them again and thumped down the stairs heavily.  
  
"Must have been a guard." Celes said, knowing that they were all over the palace at night.  
  
"Ok, check again." Leo said, and Celes poked her head out the door.  
  
"Cost clear!" She exclaimed, and with that, took off running for her bedroom. Throwing open her door, she ran in the room, and dove onto her soft, fluffy, white canopy bed.   
  
"Hmm...warm." She said to herself as she snuggled under her white comforter with little pink bows. Her room had been relatively chilly because she had left the window open all day, and now the cool nighttime air was blowing in, so she felt very comfortable under her thick blankets. It took her a few minutes before her heart stopped racing from her little sneaking out adventure, and soon, her whole body was beginning to relax.  
  
Celes turned on her back and looked up at the ceiling, her eyes half-open. Even though her day had not been busy, she was worn out. Her day was the same as all the others she had had since school let out... Usually either Leo or Kefka would wake her up and demand her to get dressed so they could play together out in the courtyard or in town if Cid allowed them. Eventually, they would waunder home for a full lunch of their favorites, and usually spend the afternoon mulling around in Vector Castle together playing video games or acting out the stories Cid read them together. Then would come dinner, a story from Cid, and bedtime... Celes couldn't immagine a better paradise for a kid her age. She was practically free to do whatever she wanted. Everyone in Vector Palace treated her like a princess.  
  
But she knew that she was different from other kids. There were no other children like her in Vector except for Leo and Kefka, her best friends. She also found it hard to get along with the other kids at her school as well, even though she did have some friends. They would always ask her strange questions over and over again though, which Celes found weird, and found herself thinking about that night.  
  
"Celes, why don't your parents come to family day?"  
  
"Why do you live with those two boys when you arn't family?"  
  
"How come you live in Vector Castle when you arn't related to the Emperor?"  
  
"How come we can never come to your house to play...?"  
  
Celes let out a soft sigh and slowly murmured the answers that the Emperor and Cid himself had told her to say.  
  
"My parents died when I was born, and Cid adopted me because he was a family friend. Leo and Kefka were also adopted within the Empire, and that's why we grew up together. Cid is a chief engineer and gets to live in the palace that he help build...and Emperor Gestahl would rather I play at my friend's houses instead."  
  
From what Celes knew, that was all true. Cid told her that when her mother was pregant, she was too weak and didn't make it through child birth. A few months later, her father, who was in an early draft of the Empire army, was killed in a battle. Cid became her guardian, and took her with him to Vector Castle when it was built. That was when she met Kefka and Leo, even though of course, she was far too young to remember any of it. She also did not remember her parents at all. She still loved them dearly, and prayed for them every night, but she did not miss them. Life was filled with school, friends, and the trials of childhood that everyone had to go through to feel accepted and to find their niche, and Celes' life was no exception from any of it. She didn't have time to miss them...  
  
Besides, her two best friends, Kefka and Leo, did not mention their parents either, and she felt that she should follow in their footsteps, being that they were the only people she felt she could truly relate to in her little eight-year-old heart. They had been best friends ever since she could remember, and they had all been through a lot together...they too, had lost their parents, and were adopted by someone of the Empire...  
  
"....Just what is the Empire?" Celes found herself asking in bed. Whenever Cid had tried to explain it to her, he always got complicated and she found herself walking off in the middle of one of his sentences. All she knew was that many, many people were in the Empire, and that Emperor Gestahl owned it, along with Vector Castle.  
  
And Emperor Gestahl was a powerful man...despite what relations Celes had to him by living in his home...she did not see him often, nor did she care to. He was scary.  
  
**********  
  
"Welcome, Cid." Gestahl said as he walked into his 'throne room', the heavy metal doors being slammed behind him by two red-uniformed guards who followed him up to his seat that was set near a small table in the back of the room. Cid had already been seated and was waiting pateintly for the Emperor to arrive. Gestahl looked him up and down and suddenly smirked.  
  
"You look exhausted, Cid." He said, his eyes still managing to pierce their gaze underneath his bushy eyebrows that matched his beard and hair. Cid nodded a little.  
  
"The kids get rowdy when it's summer." Cid said. "And I had to explain to Celes a plot of a fairy tale in such a descriptive manner so that she would accept it and move on. She just doesn't take "Because I said so." Not that I mind of course...hee hee, she's just a bright girl."  
  
"Hmm, yes, Miss Chere is rather bright, eh?" Gestahl commented in a sick tone that made Cid want to shiver. "Speaking of which, how did they do in school?"  
  
"All three of them passed with flying colors." Cid said. "They are doing well in fencing class too. Celes and Kefka have a competition coming up next month. You should go and see them, Gestahl."  
  
"Perhaps I may...I need to see their progression hands-on anyway." Gestahl mused as Cid handed him the little notebook with his notes about the children. "Data and such is just not enough for a delicate operation such as this." Cid raised his eyebrows and wondered if Gestahl was finally going to enlighten him about this 'operation' he had been going on about for the past 2 years or so. But, before he could ask, Gestahl beat him to it.  
  
"Cid...as you know, there is a reason that we aquired custody of these three." Gestahl said, and Cid could only nod. "But I know I have yet to tell you. Never fear though, you are my right-hand man and top-notch engineer here in the Empire. Let me assure you that when the time comes, you will be the first to know everything. In fact, I am going to need your help greatly when the time arises." Cid blinked and pushed up his glasses a bit on the bridge of his nose.  
  
"Tomorrow Cid, I will be expecting a visitor." Gestahl said. "Unfortunately, I will not be in, for I have business in Figaro. That is the main reason why I called you down here. I need you to make sure she arrives safely tomorrow and is made as comfortable as possible until I can arrive to greet her myself."  
  
"....A lady friend, Gestahl?" Cid asked casually, already not surprised. The emperor had many twisted affairs on the side of his normal twisted business that he conducted within the Empire.   
  
"No, a girl." Gestahl replied, and Cid blinked.   
  
"A...girl?" He repeated.  
  
"Yes...the model...for my operation." Gestahl smirked, and burst out laughing. Cid let out a small breath he didn't realize he was holding in, but spoke to get Gestahl to pay attention to him and to stop laughing.  
  
"Who is she?" Cid asked.  
  
".....Branford...Terra Branford." Gestahl said, in deep thought. "I myself have not seen her in...I suppose this makes it six years, since she is now eight."  
  
"You know her from somewhere else?" Cid asked, now even more surprised then before.  
  
"Yes...she is that half-esper/half-human child I managed to get from that wretched girl at the Esper's Sealed Gate, six years ago." Gestahl explained, and Cid now remembered who Terra was. After Terra had been found along with loads of Espers, the espers had been taken back to Vector, but the girl had not. Cid couldn't immagine what had become of her.  
  
"She has been practicing her magic and training in a desolate part of the world so no one could disturb her, ever." Gestahl said. "Her escorts are to bring her back here tomorrow...so I can see how well she is doing...if her power is anywhere near where I estimate it to be, then I shall continue on with that plans I have in mind....plans that will change our Empire...and the world...forever!!!" He smiled, and Cid could only put on a weak smile in reply. He didn't want to tell Gestahl that he seemed crazy.  
  
"I don't see how bringing Terra here will...well, effect anything." Cid said. "Can you explain why she is so important...?" Gestal smiled evily and stood up, beginning to pace about the room.  
  
"You have heard of this girl's power, right?" Gestahl asked, and Cid nodded. "Magic...it comes to her as naturally as breathing comes to you and I. Magic is a powerful force that simply cannot be matched in this world except by those espers that have since long parished."  
  
"The espers we had been draining power from in the labs." Cid added, and it was Gestahl's turn to nod.  
  
"From the conclusions you have drawn from your very own magic research Cid, I believe that the younger one is with this magic power, the more powerful they become as they grow older and allow their magic power to evolve. Terra is going to make a powerful weapn for us when she becomes a young woman, due to her training now. But why stop there...when we could have others like her too?"  
  
Cid gasped.  
  
"But sir...we have no other half-esper/half-human varieties." Cid protested. "Terra is very unique, in that sense. She is quite possibly a miracle of our time. A work of the Goddesses above..." Cid was cut off.  
  
"But we are powerful enough to make miracles too." Gestahl argued. "We are the Empire, strong enough to even bend the Goddess' rule, which soon, we will be doing."  
  
"Huh?" Cid asked. He began to get a sinking feeling in his stomach.  
  
"Cid...thanks to your research, we have found a way to infuse the magical energy we get from espers into a human body, therefore, giving them the abilities of that esper." Gestahl explained gingerly. "But that isn't all. As the human witht he esper power grows and develops, their magic will too--quite possibly beyond the powers that the esper itself had. If our experiments go well, we will be able to have an army full of magic users...just think, no one would ever be able to get in our way!"  
  
"Sir!" Cid cried, and jumped from his seat. "Something like that...would take years to achieve the desired results! And, I'm afraid it may be dangerous!"  
  
"Time will not be an issue." Gestahl said. "That is why I summoned Terra here, to see how well she developed in so little time. If she has done well, we will begin out first magic-infusions on the subjects you have so lovingly cared for all these years. At last...your work will pay off!" Cid felt the blood in his veins run cold.  
  
"You mean..."  
  
"Yes. Our first test subjects shall be none other then Kefka, Leo, and Celes....Hee-hee...immagine the power those three will be able to weild...esepcially Celes...since she has already been in our labs for treatment before...Hee-hee."   
  
Cid shook his head and looked down. What Gestahl had been referring to was when Celes was born, in a test-tube of a lab. Her mother, a mere victim of an Empire assault, had been taken captive because she was pregnant and forced to hand over the very embryo that was being developed inside of her to the Empire for experimental purposes, since an embryo was what they needed for the job. Of course, she was killed in the transfering process, and Celes spent the rest of her 6 months growing in a lab monitored by the scientists of the Empire, being injected with all sorts of vitamins and medicines that would enhance her strength, wit, and potential magic-abilities when she was 'born'.  
  
Cid could just not bear to even begin telling Celes about the true origins of herself or her parents, so he fed her a story on how her parents had simply died young in battle and in child birth...  
  
"But...what of Leo and Kefka?" Cid asked nervously. "Why are they candidates for this?"  
  
"Leo has incredible strength, as he was the son of a great swordswoman and a monk." Gestahl said. "When he was found in that villiage the army destroyed, I knew he would be perfect for this. Kefka was found in a simular fashion, only, he has remarkable brain power and a IQ just nearing phenomenal for such a young man..."  
  
"So you have been planning all of this out ever since...you found the Sealed Gate." Cid said, trying to explain it all to himself. You found potential candidates, Kefka and Leo. And two years later, after your discovery, you returned to the Sealed Gate and found Terra. That's...that's when you began having me do your research...that was also when Celes was...conceived, so to speak."  
  
"Brilliant!" Gestahl exclaimed, and patted Cid on the shoulder. "I know why you are the smartest bumbling idiot around here now." Ghestal suddenly let out a loud yawn, and walked to his large metal doors that served as the exit of the room, his two guards following.  
  
"Remember, welcome Miss Branford tomorrow, at Albrook Harbor." Gestahl ordered. He stopped for a moment, and then nodded to himself. "Oh yes...and please refrain her from getting too close to any of the kids...would you? Introduce them, but keep them seperated at all times possible. I don't need Terra distracted...Uwee-hee-hee. I shall return in a few days. You are dismissed, Cid."  
  
With that, Gestahl made his exit, and Cid found himself collapsing back in his chair, sweat adorning his brow. What Gestahl had told him was unreal. It was like...like he was trying to play God! But that wasn't the worst of it...there was also still Leo, Kefka, and Celes to think about.  
  
What would become of them after this was all over?  
  
To be continued in Part 2- Trials of the Heart 


	2. Part Two- Trials of the Heart

Part Two- Trials of the Heart  
  
"Congratulations, Celes! You did it! You won!"  
  
"I WON!" Celes screamed happily, pulling off her fencing headgear and tossing it into the air. "I really did it!" She smiled as her fellow team mates came running over to her, Kefka included. They all grabbed Celes in a big hug as the referee came over to them, a glittering golden trophy in hand. Celes struggled to reach out and grab it when....  
  
"Miss Celes?"  
  
"Hm...I won, I won, nyah nyah nyah...."  
  
"Miss Celes....please get up! It's morning..."  
  
Celes moaned and opened her eyes, only to see one of the castle maids leaning over Celes with a stern look on her pretty face. Celes gulped and sat up, rubbing her eyes.  
  
"Why so early...!?" Celes demanded grouchily, and pouted.  
  
"Cid wishes to speak with you, Leo, and Kefka as soon as possible. He wants you to be ready to go out somewhere." The maid replied, and put her hands on her hips. Celes sighed and crawled out of bed.  
  
"Why didn't Cid just wake me up himself?!" Celes asked as the maid turned to leave.  
  
"He's busy in a lst minute discussion with Emperor Gestahl before he departs for Figaro today." The maid said. "Now, be a good girl and get dressed."  
  
"Ok, ok, I'll get dressed." Celes said. "But let me wake up Kefka and Leo, ok?"  
  
"Well, anything you wish Celes, but just make sure you three don't fool around and report to the conference room immeditately." She said, and left the room. Celes blinked and shook her head as she made her way to her closet and pulled out a small yellow sundress to wear.  
  
".....It seemed improtant." She said to herself as she undressed and quickly pulled the dress over hear head. She ran over to her mirror and took her hair out of its braid, letting the golden waves cascade over her shoulders and arms. Her hair really was getting long, just like she had hoped for!  
  
Celes bounded out of her bedroom and ran down the hall, bursting into Leo and Kefka's room. You could instantly tell which side was Leo's and which was Kefka's. Leo's was neat and tidy, and all of his bedding and furniture actually coordinating and matching each other, while Kefka's side was covered in all sorts of toys, clothing, and bright colorful pictures on the walls of clowns and exotic animals. There was nothing Kefka loved more than the wonders he saw at the Vector Circus every year, and he also loved creatures from fantasy books and beautiful women. He was...a real guy.  
  
"Wake up, Leo, Kefka!" Celes exclaimed, running to each of their beds and shaking them. When Celes tried to raise Kefka, he sleepily reached out and smacked her arm.  
  
"Leave me alone..." He moaned.  
  
"Eww, you smell like eggs!" Celes cried, and ran over to Leo. "Leo, wake up..."  
  
"Whaddya mean I smell like eggs?!" Kefka suddenly cried, and leaped out of bed, tackling Celes from behind. She let out a loud squeal and hit the floor, but giggled, causing Leo to wake up and glare at both of them.  
  
"Geeze...what a sight to wake up to." Leo moaned, and scratched his head. "And what are you doing Celes? Normally, we're the ones who have to drag you out of bed."  
  
"Cid wants us all up right now, because he wants us to go somewhere with him." Celes explained while shoving Kefka off of her. "At least, that's what one of the maids told me."  
  
"Hmm..." Leo shrugged and got out of bed, going to his closet.  
  
"I'll meet you downstairs." Celes said hurriedly, and ran out of their room, shutting the door behind her. She pounded down the stairs out of the tower she was in and into the main structure of the palace, towards the conference room.  
  
I hope Cid isn't going to yell at us for sneaking out last night. Celes thought worriedly. I bet someone caught us and told him! We're busted if we did get caught...  
  
Right when Celes made it to the conference room, the doors opened, and Emperor Gestahl walked out, all dressed in richly colored robes and a black hat to match. Celes didn't say anything as he stopped and peered down at her, a small smile curled on his lips.  
  
"Hello there Celes." He said sweetly. Celes blinked and quickly came to her senses.  
  
"Good morning, Emperor."  
  
"Staying out of trouble, I hope?" He said, and Celes nodded quickly.  
  
"Good..." He trailed off and gently patted her on the head. "Such lovely hair you have, Miss Chere. It's almost like corn silk..." He lifted his hand and began to walk away.  
  
"Thank you!" Celes called out quickly. "Have a safe trip!" Before he could reply, she ran into the conference room and slammed the door shut behind her, her heart racing.  
  
Why does that guy give me the creeps everytime I see him? Celes wondered silently. My first instincts are always just to run away!  
  
"Celes, here you are!"  
  
"GAH!" Celes cried, nearly jumping out of her skin. Cid blinked and walked over to her from the bookshelf he was looking over, kneeling down to her level.  
  
"Are you ok?" He asked. He then smiled. "You're not used to being up so early, are you?"  
  
"Heh, I guess that's it." Celes replied, and jumped into his arms, giving him a tight hug. Cid hugged back and picked her up, resting her on his shoulders.  
  
"Where are Kefka and Leo?" He asked.  
  
"I dunno." Celes said. "But what are we doing today? What's this all about?"  
  
"It's sort of a surprise, I suppose." Cid said. "We have to go down to the harbor in Albrook to meet someone."  
  
"Who!?" Celes asked.  
  
"You'll see." Cid laughed and set her down as the doors opened and Kefka and Leo barged in.  
  
"Here we are!" Kefka said huffily, still rubbing the sleep out of his eyes.  
  
"Great!" Cid smiled. "Come on, our chocobos are all ready for us out front. How do you feel about having breakfast in Albrook after we pick up someone?"  
  
"Cool!" Leo and Kefka cried in unison, and Celes cheered.  
  
"Alright!" She exclaimed happily. "Lets go!"  
  
The ride to Albrook by chocobo was fairly short, only about a half an hour. One they arrived at the city limits, they parked their chocobos outside with a whole bunch of others that were there and entered, heading straight for the harbor through the city.  
  
"Lets go eat at the pub." Celes said. "They make good bacon there!"  
  
"No, I want to eat at the new restaurant that they built by the inn." Kefka said. "Jerry at school said that a waitress there was gorgeous!"  
  
"You and girls!" Celes exclaimed, thwapping Kefka on the head. Kefka thwapped her back.  
  
"You're jus' jealous cause you ain't no babe!" Kefka snapped, and Celes shrugged, reaching back and placing her hands behind her head.  
  
"I don't wanna be a babe." She said, and stuck out her tongue. "I want to be a princess."  
  
"We'll call you Princess Cherry today." Leo joked, and did a slight bow. "Your highness."  
  
"Hey, here we are!" Cid exclaimed, as they had reached the entrance to the harbor. After giving a clearance pass to the two guards stationed at the entrance, they entered, and sat on a bench that was near a newly-docked ship. Celes recognized men that were in brown uniforms as Imperial Soldiers walking about everywhere. She was just beginning to fidget and get unpatient when a tall imperial soldier walked over to them, his arm around a girl who looked even younger than Celes. She had light green hair swept up in a ponytail and wide green eyes that swept over Celes, Kefka, and Leo immediately. She was dressed in a red tank top and shorts, which revealed her very very pale complexion. She was a cute girl, but it seemed she didn't get out much.  
  
"Is this her?" Cid asked as he stood up, and the soldier nodded.  
  
"Yes sir, we made it here safely without any interference." The soldier replied, and saluted. "If you'll excuse me Cid, but I must be returning back to my post in South Figaro shortly, and the ship will be leaving any minute."  
  
"Yes, have a safe trip home." Cid said, and the soldier gave the pale girl a slight punch on the arm jokingly and told her to behave and have fun. She stared back at him blankly for a moment before nodding. The soldier left, and Cid stood behind the girl, placing both hands on her shoulders as he turned her in Celes', Leo's, and Kefka's direction.  
  
"Everyone, this is Terra Branford." He said warmly. "She's eight years old, just like you Celes!"  
  
"...Oh!" Celes said, truly surprised she and the girl were the same age. She didn't really know what else to say.  
  
"Hi Terra." Leo said.  
  
"Yo." Kefka added.  
  
".....Good morning." Terra said in a soft voice. Celes noticed that Terra was clutching her own hands tightly in her lap, making her knuckles turn white. She must have been very nervous.  
  
"Are you hungry, Terra?" Cid asked, and she nodded, keeping her eyes on Celes. Celes gulped and shoved her hands in the small pockets on the side of her dress.  
  
"Great, since these three couldn't pick a place to eat, I will." Cid said, and smiled. "Unless you know a place, Terra."  
  
"...I have never been here before." Terra said, and finally looked away from Celes, her gaze on the ground.  
  
"Well, come along then." Cid said, and began to walk off. "It's only a short walk from here!" Leo and Kefka ran after Cid, but Celes stayed behind with Terra, who was walking sort of slowly.  
  
"Hi, I'm Celes Chere." Celes said, trying to break the ice. "How come you are here to visit? Do you have family here?"  
  
"...No..." Terra said, and looked at Celes. "The emperor requested my presence here as soon as it could be made possible..." Celes blinked.  
  
"But he left today, for Figaro." Celes said. "So I guess that means you'll be hanging out with us for a while! Well, that's ok! Leo and Kefka are pains in the butts sometimes, but they are really nice, and I am sure that--"  
  
"....." Terra let out a deep breath, and Celes stopped.  
  
"You don't have to pretend to be nice to me." Terra suddenly said. "I know...that I am probably like...a freak to you." Celes blinked and shook her head.  
  
"But Terra, we just met!" She exclaimed. "I don't think you are...anything like that! I'm actually really happy about having another girl to talk to...even if you are just visiting for a while!" Terra stopped walking and Celes did also, turning to look at her.  
  
"They didn't tell you anything about me?" Terra asked.  
  
"...No..." Celes trailed off, wondering if someone had and she had just not been paying attention. "All I knew was that we had to pick someone up today in Albrook...and that it was you!" Terra swallowed and remained silent for a few moments before suddenly putting a small smile on her lips. Celes let out a sigh of relief and smiled back.  
  
"I'm sorry." Terra said quickly. "I'm not used to being treated so nicely. What is that word...where you are afraid..?" Celes thought a moment.  
  
"Oh, paranoid!" Celes exclaimed, and Terra nodded.  
  
"Well, don't worry, Terra." Celes said. "I would be nervous if I were you too. But don't worry about being lonely or treated bad here. Cid is nice to all of us, and if you need a friend, then I'll be here, ok?" Terra smiled even more, her eyes sparkling.  
  
"...Why thank you." She said, and looked ahead. "We'd best hurry, or else we will fall far behind your dad." Terra began to take off running, and Celes blinked.  
  
"Hey, he's not my daaaaaaaaaad!" Celes tried to explain as she struggled to catch up with the girl. "You see, when I was little...."  
  
**********  
  
After a breakfast full of introductions, the group of 5 began their journey back to Vector. As Celes rode alone on her chocobo, she could not help but wonder why Terra had been so scared when they first met. She also could not figure out why Terra thought she was a freak.   
  
I know she must have been nervous, but...not like that. Celes thought. She really was being paranoid.  
  
All Terra had told the group at breakfast was that she had been training her combat abilities extensively for quite some time now at a small cottage on the Northern Continent that the great kingdom Figaro was on. Her only guardian was the Imperial soldier who had escorted her to Albrook. Terra had explained that her parents had died when she was 2, and too young to remember anything. In fact, she did not remember too much of when she was younger at all.  
  
However, when they arrived at Vector, Terra let out a small gasp.  
  
"Terra?" Celes asked as she hopped off her chocobo.  
  
"I don't know." Terra said quickly, and smiled. "Celes, do you know what Deja Vu is?"  
  
"....No, I speak English." Celes said, making Terra giggle.  
  
"Well, it is the feeling that you have done something or been somewhere before, even though you really haven't." Terra said. "I just got that right now. And it is Englsh, by the way. Well...sort of."  
  
"Oh!" Celes said. "Weird..." She shook her head but continued to smile back at Terra. "Hey, Terra, you want to go to the park with me in town? It's sort of small but..."  
  
As Cid listened in on their conversation, he let out a small sigh and remembered that Gestahl did not want Terra distracted by becoming friends with Celes, Leo, or Kefka. He had been given specific orders to keep them seperated at all times...  
  
"Celes, you can't do anything later." Cid said firmly, and Celes blinked.  
  
"Why not?" She demanded.  
  
"...You have fencing practice later." Cid said quickly. "You too, Kefka." That had been the truth, luckily, but he knew that it would have been better to be able to tell them the truth about Terra in the long run. He was disturbed by Gestahl's orders, although it was not for the first time.  
  
"Oh, yeah." Celes said, and shrugged. "Sorry 'bout that."  
  
"It's alright." Terra said. "I'd rather rest anyway. It's been...a long morning for me."  
  
**********  
  
Celes did not see Terra for the rest of the day, even at dinner with Cid, Leo, and Kefka. When she asked why, Cid merely replied that she had been feeling sick from the boat, looking down at his food the whole time he spoke. He was not used to lying to the kids who were like his own children. Leo and Kefka did not make any comments.  
  
The rest of the week passed as if Terra had never even arrived at Vector. They never ate together, played together, or even ran into each other in the vast castle. Celes found herself become increasingly worried about Terra, even though they had not become remotely close at all. Everytime she thought she heard or saw someone pass her in the castle, she always did a double take to see if it was Terra. Cid refused to answer any questions reguarding her, as did anyone else she asked. Celes was becoming increasingly confused. It was like all of a sudden, she had been pushed out of a big, warm circle of security and sensibilitly.   
  
She had never felt this feeling before...being ignored, and/or brushed aside for other things was foreign to her senses.  
  
On the Sunday night that Gestahl was to return to Vector, Celes and Kefka were at a fencing practice being held at their school. The whole team was preparing for the big tornament they were entered into that was only a couple weeks away. Leo was on a more advanced fencing team, and therefore, did not attend practice with Celes and Kefka. Celes was waiting on Kefka to pack up his stuff in the now empty locker room of the school when she suddenly spoke.  
  
"Kefka..?"  
  
"Yeah, Celes?" Kefka looked up from his bag and peered at her.  
  
"....Do you know where Terra went?"  
  
"Terra? The green-haired girl? Nah...I haven't seen her around since we met her. But then again, you haven't been around either." Kefka stood up, slinging his bag over his shoulder and walking out of the school.  
  
"What do you mean?" Celes asked quickly as she ran after him, the cool nighttime breeze hitting the pair as soon as they stepped outside.  
  
"You haven't been with me or Leo all week unless it was at a meal or reading at night." Kefka explained. "We figured you were with Terra."  
  
"I haven't been...I just haven't felt too good this week." Celes apoligized. "I'm sorry."  
  
"It's ok ya know." Kefka said. "We're still friends."  
  
"That's good!" Celes smiled. She was still too young to understand that their friendship bond could withstand a lot more than just being absent from the group for a few days, although deep down in her heart, she also felt that Leo and Kefka would always be there for her, no matter what...  
  
"There you guys are!" Leo exclaimed as Celes and Kefka entered the castle. "Hurry up and get to the conference room. The emperor...wants to see all three of us. I think Terra is there too."  
  
"...Terra is?" Celes asked, and followed Leo immediately, with Kefka behind her. When they reached the conference room, Gestahl welcomed them warmly, and Celes could see that not only Terra was there, but Cid as well. Everyone was seated down at the large table in the middle of the room, Gestahl at the head of one end and Terra at the other.  
  
"How was your trip to Figaro, Gestahl?" Cid asked.  
  
"It was very fine, very fine indeed." Gestahl said, smirking a bit. "Everything was done according to plan. And tell me, Miss Branford, how are you?"  
  
"...I am well." Terra suddenly spoke up, and Celes stared down at her. Terra didn't look sick at all. In fact, she almost looked better then before.  
  
"You've all met Terra, right?" Gestahl asked, and the group of children nodded. Gestahl smiled and brought his hands together.  
  
"Terra, have you been training well?" He asked.  
  
"Yes sir." Terra said, nodding.  
  
"Why don't you show us a trick you can do?" Gestahl asked, and Terra promptly stood up, holding out her hands, as if she had been trained for this like a dog. Celes didn't realize what was going on until...  
  
"FIRE!"  
  
Suddenly, a roar of flame errupted from Terra's hands and flew across the conference table, almost frying the hair atop of everybody's head. Kefka and Leo stared with their jaws on the table, and Celes just blinked, not being frightened, but not exactly remaining calm inside.  
  
What is that? Her mind raced. It's like something out of a fantasy book...it's like....  
  
The flame came to a hault, and Terra sat down again, her heads hanging low.  
  
"....That, my dears, was magic." Gestahl explained, and Celes, Leo, and Kefka all gasped. Cid did not seem too surprised.  
  
"Magic?!" Leo cried.  
  
"There is no such thing." Celes added. "....How can...."  
  
"It is her natural gift." Gestahl said, and leaned his chin on his hands, peering at Celes, Leo, and Kefka one by one. "And isn't it a neat gift? Wouldn't any of you like to be able to do what Terra can?"  
  
"I do!" Kefka exclaimed immediately. "That is SO COOL! I had no idea she could do anything like THAT!" Celes hesitated to answer, but Leo answered as well.  
  
"....I don't like it." He said firmly.  
  
"...Well, of course you don't." Gestahl smiled. "It was new, and frightening. Something you had never encountered before. I was also exciting too. What do you think, Celes?"  
  
"....I don't know." Celes said, and looked back to Terra, who was still looking down.  
  
Is this what she meant by being a freak...? She certainly is...different...  
  
"What would you do if I told you you could be like Terra?" Gestahl asked, causing everyone to turn to him, including Terra. "What would you do...for the gift of magic?"  
  
"Man, that would be awesome!" Kefka exclaimed. "I'd do anything!"  
  
"I'd pass." Leo said.  
  
"....." Celes kept quiet.  
  
"Kefka...you've always shown...wonderful potential." Gestahl said, and suddenly stood up. Celes had no idea what he meant by that, as did neither Leo or Kefka himself. Cid stood up as well and approached Getahl's side. They began to whisper things that no one else in the room could comprehend. Terra brought her hands to the table, and Celes widened her eyes. Her hands remained flawless and pale, as if nothing like fire had ever graced them....  
  
.....Such....tremendous power...  
  
"We shall make him the first, Cid." Gestahl whispered as he looked to Kefka, the skinny, tall boy who was tipping his chair back so far that it was about to collapse from under him. Leo grabbed the arm of the chair and scolded him, making Kefka laugh.   
  
"...Are you absolutely sure about this?" Cid cried in a hushed whisper back. "...This will be totally experimental, as it is the first time we have ever..."  
  
"I am sure." Gestahl interrupted. "I can see that Leo may be a problem, and the girl will take some pushing. But Kefka is a perfect candidate....for my first ever Magitek Knight."  
  
To be continued in the final part- The Invisible Enemy 


	3. Part Three- The Invisible Enemy

Part Three- The Invisible Enemy  
  
The night that Kefka was declared to be a Magitek Knight seemed so far back in the past to Celes. She let out a soft sigh as she absentmindedly flipped through the pages of a new picture book Cid had put in the library for her. She had been struggling to sit down and concentrate on the new book for the entire past hour, but each time she failed, for her mind waundered back to Kefka.  
  
Ever since that meeting, she hadn't seen him or Terra. It had been weeks... How could the both of them just disappear like that? Perhaps Terra had left the palace grounds... but what about Kefka?  
  
Leo tried his best to reassure Celes that they were both ok, although his own doubts plagued his mind.  
  
"Well Celes, Kefka has to go to a lot of doctor check-ups to make sure that he's not sick or anything before they go on with the infusion." Leo would say.  
  
"What's an infusion?" Celes asked.  
  
"...." Leo had stopped for a moment and looked to the ceiling, as if the answer had been scribbled up there for him to see. Celes looked up herself just to make sure it wasn't. When Leo looked to her again, he had a blank look in his eyes.  
  
"I think it means that you get something put in you."  
  
Celes blinked at that memory and stood up, dropping the book from her lap to the floor. It was 7 o' clock... time to go to Sunday evening fencing practice. The tournament was only a day away now. She somehow knew Kefka wouldn't be there. Leo wouldn't walk her to the school for practice... he was in a private meeting with the Emperor at this very minute. All this time, even though Kefka had volunteered, Gestahl had been pressuring Leo to be infused with along with him. And, all this time, Leo had refused. Gestahl had questioned Celes as well, but she merely put on a blank stare like her new friend Terra was found doing a lot. That always seemed to get Gestahl off her case.  
  
That night, Celes found herself haunted with terrible dreams while sleeping in her fit-for-a-princess bed. She was in a dark room, and all around her she could hear the moans and shrieks of foreign, invisible people. No... she wasn't even sure they were people. They didn't sound human. They almost sounded like animals. Espers. The Celes in her dream cowered in a corner and pulled her knees into her chest while covering her ears. These noises were horrible. It sounded as if the Espers were in pain, like their souls were being torn apart.   
  
Espers?   
  
What were Espers?  
  
Had Celes ever heard that word before? She couldn't remember. She suddenly felt as if the screams had entered her body, and were draining her off all her thoughts and memories. She could see them floating away from her body in a sparkling green light.  
  
The same light Terra seemed to give off when she casted that spell....  
  
Suddenly, Celes' body gave out, and she slumped to over, her body not even creating an echo as it lifelessly hit the floor beneath her.  
  
"AHHH!" Celes shrieked as she sat up in bed, her heart pounding and her mind racing. She instantly touched her face, touched all over to make sure she was alive and real. Letting out a deep breath, she turned towards her window seeing that it was shut tightly. Not even a tree branch stirred outside. There was no wind, nothing around her that could create the noises she had heard in her dream. She now confimred that none of it was real.... just a dream....  
  
"Celes?" She heard someone ask from her doorway. Celes looked over and saw that it was Cid, looking disgruntled in his bright yellow pajamas. She knew she was ok, and that nothing had happened except for a dream, but she shook her head in reply to his question and suddenly burst into loud tears.   
  
"Oh, Celes...." Cid walked in quickly and sat down beside her, embracing her tightly. Celes blinked and felt her heart skip a beat.  
  
All of a sudden, Cid's normally warm embrace felt cold and unfamiliar... just like everything else that had been going on around the Imperial Palace. All Celes could think about was how she wanted to be as far away from this place as possible... and in the arms of her two best friends instead.  
  
**********  
  
"Celes! Celes!"  
  
"Hi Leo!"  
  
Celes smiled brightly and looked up from her new half-tied white boots that Cid had bought her for her fencing tournament tonight. Every night, she had been practicing long and hard, determined to win that trophy for her team. And tonight was it! Leo came over to her and gave her a thumbs up. Celes had also dressed up in her fencing outfit to see how it looked with the shoes that morning.  
  
"You look awesome." Leo said. "I can't wait to watch you tonight!"  
  
"Thanks Leo." Celes said. Oh well. She thought. At least Leo will be with me.  
  
"Make sure to cheer for me loudly." Celes said.  
  
"Hmm, should I say "Go Celes" or "Go Princess Cherry"? Leo asked, laughing. Celes put on a horrified look.  
  
"Don't call me that! It will be so embarassing... I'll look like such a...."  
  
"Girl?" Leo answered for her, and Celes punched him on the shoulder lightly. Leo stepped back and suddenly smiled even more.  
  
"Oh yeah, Celes, I almost forgot why I came here." Leo said, and crossed his arms over his chest. "I came to get you so we could see Kefka."  
  
"Kefka?" Celes asked, her eyes widening. "Leo, where is he?!"  
  
"He's resting in his room." Leo said. "Looks like he's aloud to have visitors now."  
  
"But how long has he been there?" Celes asked worriedly. Leo shook his head.  
  
"I don't know." He said. "I just found out today. The Emperor told me..." Celes blinked and then shook her head, trying to get Gestahl's face out of her mind.   
  
"Well, come on, lets go see him!" Celes said, and Leo nodded in agreement. The two children ran down the hallway and up a flight of stairs to a new room that was apparently now privately owned by Kefka, since he was not in the room that he and Leo shared. Leo pushed open the door quietly, and led Celes inside the room. It was large and completely decorated with all of the clowns and circus animals that Kefka loved. It looked like his side of the room that he shared with Leo, only bigger.  
  
Kefka was sitting up in his huge bed, bending over a thick book. Celes blinked as he didn't even move when the two entered. Maybe he didn't hear them.  
  
"Kefka!" Celes smiled, and ran over to his bedside, shaking his shoulder lightly. Suddenly, Kefka let out a high shriek and jerked away, smacking Celes' hand with his hardcover book while he was at it. Celes giggled a little, but her smile faded when she saw Kefka's face. He had dark circles under his clear blue eyes, and his face looked thinner and bonier. His blonde hair, normally spiked, was slicked back in a wet style, not a strand out of place. It was so... not like Kefka.  
  
"What are you laughing about?" Kefka snapped, and Celes blinked. Suddenly, that strike made on her hand began to throb in slight pain.  
  
"Hey Kefka!" Leo exclaimed as he came over to the two of them. "How are you feeling? Does anything hurt?"  
  
"My head hurts from looking at you two bumbling idiots." Kefka snapped bitterly, and slammed his book on the floor, making a loud thump as it hit. Celes nearly jumped ten feet in the air, and Leo took in a sharp breath.  
  
"Kefka..." Celes trailed off, her mind suddenly feeling numb. Perhaps he just wasn't feeling well... She was sure she wouldn't want visitors either, after all that he might have been through.... Kefka glared at Celes and shook his head.  
  
"I can't believe neither of you got infused with me." Kefka suddenly sneered. Leo put his hands on his hips.  
  
"Kefka, you're the one who volunteered." Leo reminded him. "But listen, we're just glad you're ok..."  
  
"OF COURSE I'M OK!" Kefka screeched. Celes closed her eyes and covered her ears. This didn't sound like Kefka at all! Who was this? She was convinced it was someone else! Who was lying in her best friend's bed, glaring at her like this?  
  
"Come on Celes." Leo said cooly, and grabbed her by the hand violently to lead her out of the room. But Kefka grabbed her other hand and suddenly yanked her over so close to him, she stumbled and fell part way onto his bed. He leaned in quickly, and whispered something quick in her ear.  
  
"Don't worry Celes, I'm not mad at you. You're still my best friend... I'll come see you tonight before the fencing tournament to wish you luck..." Celes blinked and pulled away, a shiver running through her spine. A moment before, Kefka's voice had been so high and creepy. But at that moment, it seemed back to normal... the old Kefka...  
  
Leo snorted and took Celes outside the room, and slammed the door quickly behind them.  
  
"Who does he think he is, treating us like that?" Leo demanded, his usual cool demeanor gone. "Celes, what did he say to you?" Celes shook her head and looked down.  
  
"Erm, nothing. I couldn't understand a word. It sounded mean though."  
  
She didn't want to lie, but she was afraid Leo would be even madder at Kefka is she told him what he said. The three of them had never been in a fight like this before.   
  
"I'm going to ask Cid about what is up with Kefka." Leo said, and left Celes behind in the hallway. She let out a deep breath and leaned back against a wall, her blonde hair tumbling down her shoulders, blocking her face from anyone else who might come across her. She was afraid to speak to anyone. Her confusion seemed to stir in her mind and into her words, making it impossible for her to form any sort of a sentence to explain herself. All of these feelings were alien...  
  
**********  
  
"Celes, how are you doing in there?" Cid asked through the doorway of her bedroom. Celes had just finished tying her hair into a high ponytail with a snow white ribbon, and smiled brightly at her reflection in the mirror.  
  
"I'm almost done, Cid!" She exclaimed. "Just have to make sure everything is packed in my bag!"  
  
"Alright." Cid replied cheerfully. Celes heard him walk down the hallway away from her room as she turned from her mirror and began to shuffle through her bag, which was on her bed. A few moments later, there was another knock on her door, but before she could ask who it was, it swung open, revealing Kefka. He was fully dressed, not in pajamas or anything, and looked almost perfectly normal again. His hair was still slicked back, however, and his face still lacked color. Celes stood up and smiled brightly. He had kept his promise...  
  
"Kefka!" She exclaimed. "Thanks for coming! I'm sorry you won't be joining us tonight. Everyone on the team will miss you."  
  
"Yeah, I know..." Kefka smiled a little. Celes didn't even notice he had one hand behind his back at an awkard angle. "But Gestahl doesn't want me to go out for a while... he said I need my rest so I can fully recooperate... and begin my training."  
  
"Training, huh?" Celes smiled. "Sounds important, Kefka!"  
  
"It is very important..." Kefka trailed off and mumbled under his breath. "...Important that I eliminate any competition..."  
  
"Huh?" Celes asked.  
  
"Nothing." Kefka said quickly. "So Celes, do you want to be a Magitek Knight now?"  
  
"...Oh, I don't know..." Celes trailed off, and sighed. "I mean...."  
  
"But you are considering it?" Kefka quickly interrupted.  
  
"...." Celes shrugged. "I honestly don't know..." Suddenly, Kefka's blue eyes turned to ice, and Celes let out a little gasp as he took a step towards her.  
  
"Stop being such a baby, Celes." Kefka suddenly snapped, the tone in his voice rising. "That's what I hated about you... HATED HATED HATED HATED! You are such a baby, and yet, the Emperor still prefers you over me!"  
  
"What?!" Celes shrieked, her face turning white. "Kefka! What are you talking about?"  
  
"I HEARD THEM TALKING!" Kefka yelled so loudly, the windows shook. "I HEARD CID AND GESTAHL! SAYING THAT YOU OR LEO WOULD MAKE THE BETTER MAGITEK KNIGHT! CID SAYING THAT THIS MIGHT BE A MISTAKE. MISTAKE? HA!" Celes felt her heart begin to beat faster as she reached up to cover her ears. But Kefka kept yelling. "THE ONLY MISTAKE MADE WAS KEEPING YOU AROUND TO COMPARE ME TO! I HATE YOU, CELES CHERE!"  
  
".....!" Celes' breath stopped as she continued to step backwards, stumbling over her own feet. Tears sprung to her eyes, but didn't pour over yet. Something was stopping them... the naive hope that none of this was happening. It was another bad dream. Celes would wake up, and she would be in her bed, rubbing her eyes. Stretching... yawning... getting ready for the new day....  
  
"Well..." Kefka's voice suddenly fell a few volumes. "What do you have to say to that?" Celes blinked, but didn't move as he took another move towards her.  
  
"Kefka..." Celes trailed off, and tried to smile weakly. "This is just a dream... I'll pinch myself and wake up..." Celes reached over to pinch her arm, and didn't see what was coming next. In an almost inhuman blur, Kefka pulled his hidden arm from behind his back, revealing a long, freshly sharpened rapier in his hand...the kind used for fencing, only the safety ball tip at the top has been removed... melted it seemed, by fire into a nice point. Using expert technique and taking advantage of Celes' unawareness, Kefka took one swift thrust with the rapier towards Celes' motionless body. She looked up just in time to see something silver flash near her....  
  
Celes let out a loud gasp and saw red as she time seemed to suddenly come to a slow drag. She could count the seconds in her head that it took the blade to slice through her fencing suit and across her bare skin, then into her skin, piercing her insides without any lag of movement. Then, time suddenly screeched forward as Kefka yanked back, withdrawing the rapier from her side and immediately tossing it to the side, the blood on it's blade instantly staining the white carpet in her room. Celes blinked and the red in her vision disappeared, taking her strength along with it. With a soft cry, Celes first fell to her knees and grasped her sides. The pain came flowing through almost as fast as the blood thst spilled through her suit and onto her hand.  
  
"Kefka..." Celes murmured, her eyes crawling from the floor up to meet his. They were cold and distant... like two pieces of ice in a skeleton's sockets. Celes' smile faded, and she reached out to Kefka with her free hand, causing a jolt of pain to shoot through her sides. Kefka merely smirked and turned on his heal, exiting the room.  
  
"Ahhhh!" Celes screamed, and collapsed face-forward onto the floor, the pain becoming overwhelming, her head becoming weak from the shock and the loss of blood. And yet, her thought were still fully awake, the same thing running through them over and over.  
  
"How could you do this... Kefka?" Celes murmured, and closed her eyes, her mind now beginning to numb over. "....Kefka.... what....did they do....to....you.....?" Celes' lips stopped moving, and soon, she was completely still.  
  
A few minutes later, Cid impatiently looked at his watch and looked at Leo, who was waiting in one of the Empire's vehicles along with him for Celes.  
  
"Where is she?" Cid asked worriedly. "We're going to be late..."  
  
"Let me go get her." Leo offered, and climbed out of the the vehicle, running into the Imperial Palace. He ascended the stairs two at a time and then ran the rest of the way down the hall to Celes' room, surprised to see that from a distance the door was wide open. Did he somehow pass her?  
  
When Leo made it to Celes' room, he almost immediately began to yell for her to hurry up. But when his eyes fell upon the display on the now crimson carpet, his mouth froze in the middle of calling her name, and he felt his own legs get very weak, very fast.  
  
"SOMEONE HELP!" He screamed so loudly, his throat became raw immediately afterwards. "CELES!"  
  
  
  
  
  
  
Epilogue  
  
Celes let out a soft sigh and pressed her cheek against the cool glass of the Imperial vehicle she was riding in. Every few minutes the drivers would roll over a bump in the road, making Celes cringe slightly and place her hand over her side. Everytime that happened, she was reminded of that night.  
  
That was all Celes could call it... "That Night". She could barely remember anything that had happened. She didn't even know how much time had passed since then. All the events immediately before it and after it had been compressed into one mind-numbing mess in her mind. The only three things Celes could remember clearly was getting stabbed by Kefka, hearing someone call her name, and waking up in a recovery room in the Imperial Palace. Oh yeah... and the conversation with the Emperor.  
  
Celes had woken up in a strange, hard, cold bed in the recovery room. Her side was throbbing in pain, as well as the rest of her torso, as it was wrapped up very tightly in some sort of massive gauze. Although her mind was foggy, it did not stop the Emperor from coming into her room and sitting into a chair next to her bedside, as if all of this had been prepared ahead of time. It didn't stop him from speaking to her, bringing her the news that would change her life as she knew it forever, and strip her of her innocent-child way of seeing the world. He didn't even ask her how she felt.  
  
"Do you see how it is, Celes?" He had asked.  
  
".....What...?"  
  
"Do you see what the world has become? Why we need the Magitek Knights on our side as soon as possible?"  
  
What the world had become? Didn't he mean what Kefka had become?  
  
"......Gestahl..." Celes moaned, and cringed at the feeling of her chapped lips cracking. "Why...did..."  
  
"I'm afraid that something just didn't go quite right with the infusion." Gestahl confessed. "I'm afraid Kefka may have not been strong enough." He wasn't going to dare reveal to Celes that it really had nothing to do with the youth.  
  
".....But..."  
  
Gestahl stopped her quickly. "But now you see that you need to protect yourself Celes. That's how it really is. People betray their friends everyday. Everyone is fighting for power. Obviously, you have it, if Kefka attacked you. Don't you want to take advantage of it?" His lips curled into a slight smile. "Don't you want revenge?"  
  
"....No." Celes said softly, shocking him. "...I don't want revenge. I don't think it was Kefka's fault..."  
  
"Oh, it was." Gestahl said. "Can't you see? His jealously made him snap."  
  
"....I think the infusion made him snap." Celes corrected him quietly, and he smirked slightly. Yes, Celes Chere was definately bright... even when on the line between life and death, it seemed. Cid had not breathed a lie about her intelligence and strength. He needed her more than anything now.  
  
"Well, don't you think you should be able to protect yourself, at least?" Gestahl prodded. "Yes, I think that your protection should be our top priority right now." Celes glared at him.  
  
"And what about...Leo?"  
  
"Leo? Leo took my advice and left." Gestahl smiled sweetly. "He's probably arriving at the Imperial Camp I sent him to right around this time. He's going to work on his training. And than, when he returns, perhaps he will have wisened up and accept my offer to make him a Magitek Knight. You and Leo have so much more potential than Kef...."  
  
Celes toned him out and clasped her hands together, as if in prayer. Had Leo really left her behind here, or was he forced to go? Why would Leo go away....?  
  
Why would Kefka....stab her?  
  
None of her answers came, of course. The only voice she could hear was Gestahl's, droning on and on. The more she heard, the more sick she became inside.  
  
Everyone she loved was leaving her behind. Celes Chere was a weak little girl. A baby, Kefka had called her. Pretty soon, Leo might even come back and walk all over her. She would let him. Maybe even let him stab her too.   
  
"NO!" Celes suddenly screamed, and grabbed her head to brace herself. Gestahl stopped talking and looked at her. Before Celes could stop herself, she said it.  
  
"Please Emperor, do whatever you can. Teach me how to become a Magitek Knight."  
  
And here she was, being driven to a nearby Imperial Camp that had been set up to spy on a few villages. Once she arrived there, she would be taken under the wing of one of the better soldiers stationed there for combat training. She would stay as long as it took for her to become perfect. Perfect for infusion. The perfect Magitek Knight. Everything about being one had to do with perfection. She had heard it numerous times....from Cid...from Gestahl.  
  
The vehicle suddenly came to a halt, throwing Celes forward a little. She let out a moan and sat back, closing her eyes for a moment to regain her breath.  
  
"Celes?" Cid asked from the seat across from her. She opened her eyes and looked toward him. He was the only one who was seeing her off.  
  
"I think the soldiers stopped so the engine could cool down." Cid explained. "Why don't you go outside for some fresh air?"  
  
"Good idea." Celes said softly, and stood up slowly, making her way out the back exit of the vehicle. When she stepped outside, she could see that they were in a wide field, nearby a small pond. She smiled a little and walked over to it, kneeling down to look at her reflection. The person she saw was a sad little girl, who looked smaller than a normal child her age. Everything about her, her eyes, her smile...were sad. It was nothing like the Celes that everyone used to love. Where had she gone? Perhaps she left when Kefka and Leo did... and left this girl behind.   
  
"....." Celes stood up and began to make her way back to the vehicle, not wanting to see anymore. She couldn't deny who she was. She was the same person. A lot had happened in the past few weeks, but she was still Celes Chere. However, she was tired of being told how Celes should be like and how she should act. She didn't listen, and now she was all alone. It was her fault.  
  
Celes stepped back into the vehicle and collapsed back into her seat.   
  
"Cid." She said softly.  
  
"Yes?" Cid asked, and Celes looked at him, her eyes as serious as any adult's he had ever met.  
  
"Cid...I'm going to train hard..." She began. "I'm going to work hard everyday, and become strong. When I come home, you're not even going to recognize me. And you're going to be proud too...." Cid smiled a little and placed his hand over hers.  
  
"I'm already proud of you!" He smiled. "But your maturity surprises me. You're so goal-oriented, Celes. I just know that you will make a perfect soldier when you come home. A perfect knight! This must be your calling in life, your destiny. I wonder what other wonderful opportunities this will open up for you?" Celes smiled weakly and leaned back in her seat again, closing her eyes. She could hear the engine of the vehicle revving up again.  
  
"I'm sorry, Kefka, Leo, for disappointing you before." Celes murmured to herself. "But when I come home... things will be different. I'll be the girl you always wanted to see, and not the one you left behind...even if it means putting my thoughts about you aside for now." Celes shifted and rested her hands in her lap.  
  
"....And then....everything will be....just like it used to...."  
  
The End  
  
  
  
  
  
Author's Note: Well, sorry it took to long to post this last part up! I kind of thought the ending was sad. T_T But I based the ending on what I believe may have motivated Celes to become a Magitek Knight. As a young child, she could have easily been manipulated into believing that she was not good enough for her peers, therefore she would strive to be everything they were and more so that she could perhaps be accepted (again). Of course though, during all this preparation to become a perfect soldier, she would still remain out of contact with Leo and Kefka...and instead of becoming closer, they would eventually drift apart and the results would be simular to their relations they make with each other in the game...distant, and somewhat hateful. (Kefka + Celes and Kefka + Leo.) 


End file.
